Conventionally, the spare tire of an automotive vehicle is placed on the floor of the trunk usually to one side or on a shelf at the rear of the trunk formed to accommodate the gas tank. With the rise in popularity of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) in recent years, placement of the spare tire poses particular problems for vehicle designers since an SUV has storage space in the rear of the cabin instead of the traditional automotive trunk. Placing the tire on the inside of the SUV cabin, in the rear storage area, monopolizes an undesirably large portion of available storage space. Placing the tire externally of the vehicle on a hinged carrier, the rotational axis of the tire perpendicular to the rear cargo door and parallel to a horizontal plane, makes accessing the vehicle from the rear door a cumbersome process.
A solution to this problems involves placing the spare tire underneath the rear storage area, externally of the vehicle, typically between the rear rails. One method of accomplishing this is by utilizing a crank and carrier system. The use of such a system typically requires utilization of a rod for actuating the crank mechanism. Manipulation of the crank causes the tire to be released from a stored position underneath the vehicle and lowered to the ground via a cable and carrier assembly. Once the tire contacts the ground, and enough slack is provided for in the cable, the carrier may be removed from the spare tire. The operator must then reach under the vehicle to pull the spare tire out from beneath the vehicle. Having to reach under the vehicle and drag a spare tire across the ground and out from underneath the vehicle is a cumbersome process. If the clearance between the rear bumper and the ground is diminished, which would happen if the flat tire is one of the rear tires, this cumbersome process is only exacerbated.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for a spare tire storage system which overcomes the shortcomings associated with previous designs and which allows for easy access to the spare tire.